Coarse Meaning
/kɔːs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjWith a rough texture; not smooth.
adjComposed of large particles.
Sentence Examples
He is coarse in manner.
Her dress was made of coarse wool.
Her skin is coarse from years of working outdoors.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sandpaper had a ____ texture that quickly smoothed the rough wood.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sand on the beach was very ____ and felt rough on my skin.
Word Origin & History
Adjectival use of course that diverged in spelling in the 18th century. The sense developed from '(following) the usual course' (cf. of course) to 'ordinary, common' to 'lacking refinement', with 'not fine, granular' arising from its application to cloth. Compare the development of mean.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Two hundred Sempſtreſſes were employed to make me Shirts, and Linen for Bed and Table, all of the ſtrongeft and coarſeſt kind they could get; which, however, they were forced to quilt together in ſeveral Folds, for the thickeſt was ſome degrees finer than Lawn."
— 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “Of the Inhabitants of Lilliput; […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages 107–108:
"Graham flour is coarsely granulated wheat meal. No sieves or bolting cloths are employed in its manufacture, and many coarse, unpulverized particles are present in the product."
— 1908, Harry Snyder, Human Foods and their Nutritive Value, New York: Macmillan, section 157, pp. 145-146:
"Missing units may be attributed to either the lack of proper sized material in the source or the successive, downcurrent sedimentation of the coarser materials first and the finer materials last."
— 2012, Paul E. Potter, James Maynard, Wayne A. Pryor, Sedimentology of Shale: Study Guide and Reference Source:
"☞ This word [earth] is liable to a coarſe vulgar pronunciation, as if written Urth;[…]"
— 1791, John Walker, A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary […] , London: Sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinſon, Paternoſter Row; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, →OCLC, page 211:
"The butcher and the porkman painted up only the leanest scrags of meat; the baker, the coarsest of meagre loaves."
— 2007, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Penguin, →ISBN, page 34:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The sandpaper had a ____ texture that quickly smoothed the rough wood.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The sand on the beach was very ____ and felt rough on my skin.